We were launching our little dinghy during the bank holiday weekend that the weather forecasters said would be glorious blue skies with temperatures in the mid-twenties but were surprised to find ourselves wearing our Rab belay jackets and the poor dog started shivering! A nice man who I have met before and completely forgotten his name came to say hello. He owns Merganser which is V47 built in Portsmouth in 1952. According to the “Blue Book” the sail number was 78Y but I am not sure why. She was built from teak with a rock elm keel and lead ballast and looks like she will last forever. The mast is new from Collars as the old one had a twist. It would be nice to have a beer with the owner one day and find out more.
Newsflash 17th October 2022
We went to drop off our trailer at Titchmarsh yesterday and spotted two Vertues. I’ve added a new post for Hussar, but as we had seen Merganser before I have tagged to the original post. She is now under new ownership and we were lucky enough to have a chat with Steve who was the proud owner for just three months. I have a feeling he will be a splendid custodian as he seems to really know an awful lot about these little yachts. He is exploring options of self-steering without needing to clutter the stern. Currently a trim tab on the rudder is being considered. He has access to water cutting jets so obviously has some kind of engineering background. The self-steering gear is needed as he plans to enter the Baltimore Race should all go well.
The boat was being hauled out in a few days into a covered construction in the yard. No doubt we will meet up again.
The Vertue Yachts website is the best resource for details about these wonderful yachts. Details of Merganser can be found here.
Newsflash 24th May 2025
Merganser is currently out of the water and up for sale at Titchmarsh Marina. David Morris are handling the sale and she has now been reduced to just £10,000. That sounds like a real bargain. Details here
Newsflash 13th June 2026
We went to Titchmarsh to drop off our trailer and spotted Merganser out of the water with her new owners. Merganser was looking splendid with a fresh coat of white paint and super smooth antifouling. The new owners are Robert and John Thorpe, a father and son team. I reckon they are going to be the perfect custodians that a fine teak Vertue deserves. They were sanding the mast and deliberating what approach to take to remove a few slightly grey patches. I am sure they will make the right decision and have great fun sailing the little ship.
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